12.29.2008  The Legislature's health and budget committees last week gave the go-ahead for the Jindal administration to start negotiations with federal officials on its plan to restructure health-care delivery for the poor.  Read the entire article by Marsha Shuler in The Advocate.

12.29.2008  WASHINGTON - Louisiana now has three doctors in the House.

With the recent election of two Republicans - Dr. John Fleming, of Minden, and Dr. Bill Cassidy, of Baton Rouge - the state becomes the national leader in the number of physicians serving on its congressional delegation.  Read the entire artice by Gerard Shields in The Advocate.

12.24.2008  The Jindal administration submitted its proposed state health-care restructuring plan for federal approval Tuesday, just days after getting the legislative go-ahead.  Read the entire article by Marsha Shuler in The Advocate.

12.18.2008  Washington -- Physician organizations and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal agree that a medical-home model could help Medicaid provide better value to patients with low incomes or disabilities. But they disagree on whether managed care organizations should be the ones overseeing those homes.  Read the entire article by Doug Trapp in the AMNews.

12.16.2008  Louisiana's health agency is bracing for mid-year state funding cuts of about $100 million, the agency's chief said Monday.  Read the entire article by Marsha Shuler in The Advocate.

12.16.2008  BATON ROUGE -- Health care and higher education programs will likely face the holiday budget ax after a forecasting panel determined Monday that plummeting energy prices and the national economic slowdown will combine to tear a $341 million hole in this year's state budget. Read the entire article by Jan Moller in The Times-Picayune.

12.15.2008  Gov. Bobby Jindal's proposed revamp of the way government provides medical services for about a quarter of the state's population should receive its first up or down vote by state legislators this week.  Read the entire aritcle by Mark Ballard in The Advocate.

12.11.2008  With the election of John Fleming, MD of Minden (R-LA) in the race for Louisiana’s 4th congressional district, Louisiana will now have three physicians in its delegation, including Rep. Charles Boustany, MD (R-LA-07) and Rep. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA-06). All three physicians are LSMS members. Louisiana held the general election in the 4th congressional district because Hurricane Gustav forced a delay in Louisiana's September 3 primary, causing the primary run-off election to be held to November 4 and the general election on December 6. Dr. Fleming and Dr. Cassidy are two of the four physicians joining the freshmen class of the 111th Congress, bringing the total number of physicians serving in the next Congress to fifteen.

12.3.2008  MINNEAPOLIS - Louisiana has reclaimed its status as the least healthiest state in the country, according to the 2008 America's Health Rankings released today by United Health Foundation. Last year, Louisiana ranked 49th.  Read the entire article in New Orleans CityBusiness.

12.2.2008  Louisiana legislators questioned how the Jindal administration planned to pay for the proposed revamp of the state health-care program.

One of the Legislature's top fiscal leaders, for instance, objected to the proposed use of one-time money to launch an expansion of Medicaid.

Read the entire article by Marsha Shuler in The Advocate.

11.25.2008  State health chief Alan Levine wants the Legislature to rewrite the law that provides the framework for the restructuring of Louisiana's health-care system for the poor and uninsured.  Read the entire article by Marsha Shuler in The Advocate.

11.18.2008  WASHINGTON - Primary care doctors in the United States feel overworked and nearly half plan to either cut back on how many patients they see or quit medicine entirely, according to a survey released on Tuesday.  Read the entire article posted on MSNBC. View the Physician's Foundation survey: cover letter, executive summary and key findings.